Thomas donahue



(No Model.)

T. DONAHUE.

TEMPERING UNITED LENGTHS 01-" BAND STEEL.

No. 249,909. Patented Nov. 22.1881.

N4 PETERS. PnoXc-Lilhognpher. Washmglou, 0. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS DONAHUE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO M. (JOHN, OF

' SAME PLACE.

TEMPERING UNITED LENGTHS OF BAND-STEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,909, dated November22, 1881.

Application filed December 22, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS DONAHUE, ot' thecity, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Tempering United Lengths of Band-Steel; and I do'hereby declare that the following specification,takeninconnection withthe drawings furnished and forming a part thereof, is a clear, true, andcomplete description of my invention.

It is well known that the tempering of bandsteel is usually effected bythe longitudinal passage of the steel in long lengths through theheating-baths, (usually of melted lead), and also through acooling-bath, (usually of oil,) and to render the process continuous,and to attain uniform results, numerous lengths of the band-steel areunited at their ends, so as to enable the steel to progressively andcontinuously make its tour through the tempering apparatus.

Heretofore much trouble and expense has attended the preparation ofband-steel for temperin g, with relation to the union of the ends, saidunion having been heretofore attained either by punching holes in thesteel and riveting them with an overlapping joint, or by wrapping theoverlapped portions with fine wire, or by the use of an attachableclampingjoint. The riveting method is expensive, and if not accuratelyperformed the joints are liable to displacementwhile passing through thetempering apparatus; and, moreover, such joints do not readily passover, under, between, and around the rolls employed in said apparatus.The wire-Wrapped joint is specially liable to displacement, and is alsoexpensive in the labor requisite therefor, and the attachableclamping-joint is open to the same objection as to displacement, auditis also an inconvenient one with respect of easy passage through thetempering apparatus. It is also true that in proportion as these priormethods of forming the joints have provided against accidentaldisconnection, they have involved additional labor for a disconnectionof said ends after the tempering has been completed.

It is obvious that the accidental separation of ends during thetempering operation is not (No model.)

.lengths of tempered band-steel are generally out into short lengths foruse, it is important that these latter, in the matter of temper, shouldbe as nearly alike as possible, and this is specially true ofcorset-steels, in connection with the manufacture of which my presentinvention was prompted, and its practical value 'fully developed.

I seek to reduce the cost of uniting'and disconnectingthe ends ofband-steel in tempering. and also to reduce the liability of accidentalseparation to a minimum, and thereby attain not only economy, but alsoto render the tempering of band-steel absolutely uniform.

The main feature of myinvention consists in tempering united lengths ofband-steel by passing the lengths united by interlocked ends through thetempering apparatus, whereby with minimum manipulation the lengths ofsteel are readily and directly united or disunited, but nevertheless sosecurely maintained in connection as not to be liable to accidentalseparation.

I prepare band-steel for tempering by employing an interlocking jointwhich requires the addition of no such extraneous elements as rivets,wrapping-wire, or clamping-joints, as in all cases heretofore employed.

The desirable characteristic capacities of a joint applicable inaccordance with my invention are a capacity to afford resistance totensile strain, coupled with acapacity to withstand the unlockingtendencies incident to a thrusting action, because both draft and thrustare experienced during the passage of the bandsteel through thetempering apparatus; and, although I have devised a novel jointpossessin g these capacities, and hereinafter lay special claim thereto,I do not limit the main feature of my invention to that particularjoint, for many others heretofore known, as in bale-ties, cask-hoops,&c., may be employed in lieu of my novel joint with more or lesssatisfactory results, and Itherefore also describe and show a form ofwell-known joint (not novel with me) which is well adapted for mypurposes.

To more particularly describe my invention, I will refer to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents, in plan, two endsof band-steel united in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 representsthe same in longitudinal central section. Fig. 3 represents the same inplan view detached. Figs.4, 5, and 6 represent, respectively, similarviews of a joint not devised by me, but well adapted for use inaccordance with the main feature of my invention.

The two ends of band-steel a and b to be united are each placed into adie-press and are stamped and cut as follows: The piece a is tapered atits end and is bent or curved, as at a, and back of said bent surface anirregular locking-slot is cut or punched having atriangular outline at aa straight slot at a and a transverse slot at a near its end oppositethe triangular end. The piece I) is similarly tapered and bent, as at b,and cut or punched at each side thereof at the base of the taper, toafford a transverse open slot, b on each side of the neck b and alsoacentral aperture, 1), at the rear of and in line with the neck bThepiece b may properly be termed the male end and the piece a thefemale end. The curved or bent ends prevent the tips thereof from undulyprojecting upward, and causes each to be partially housed, respectively,in the transverse slot a in piece a and in the aperture b of piece I),thus enabling the joint to freely pass between rolls, as well as overthem. The thrusting action is provided for by the abutment of the tipswith the edges of the slot or aperture which they occupy when the twopieces are in the same plane, and also when not in the same plane, bythe contact of the surfaces of the slots at a and b with the surfacesrespectively coincident thereto. The tensile strain is provided for bythe wide end of the slot at a of piece a in contact with the neck I) ofpiece I). It will be readily seen that such joints are readily andcheaply formed, that the ends are readily connected or disconnected,when desired, and that at the same time there exists little, if any,liabilityot' accidental displacement incident to a thrusting movement.

As an equivalent of the particularjoint devised by me for use inaccordance with the main feature of my invention, I have selected forillustration, in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, one of many interlocking joints fromsuch as have heretofore been employed in bale-ties and cask-hoops, andin which tensile strain is only required, but which, by reason of theirpeculiar (and in this respect accidental) structure, are suited for mypurpose, because of their capacity to resist unlocking or disconnectionduring such thrusting movements as are incident to the temperingoperation. This joint is formed, as shown, by means of an angular slot,0, in one piece, and two open side slots, 11, appropriately located withreference to each other in the other piece, so that the length of theangular slot, being greater than the width of the steel, readilyreceives one end of the fellow piece, and when these pieces arestraightened the two side slots, (1, engage with the sides of said slotnear each end thereof.

I am well aware that in the art of nail-mak ing the plates used thereinhave heretofore been connected end to end by means of a dovetail jointwhile in the machine, and immediately in front of the punches which cutor punch nails from said plates, so as to provide against injury to thepunches or cutters in working upon the terminal end of each plate, aswould be liable if fed singly; and I am also aware thatin thepreparation ot'sheet-iron or tin-plate for roofing purposes sheets ofiron or tin-plate have been connected end to end by means of opentinners joints, and then passed consecutively beneath rolls for closingsaidjoints, and thence through baths of melted tin or other metal forsoldering or further closing saidjoints and permanently uniting thesheets of metal into a long strip, and also meantime coating the samewith metal from the bath. In neither of these instances, however, werethe joints employed at all suitable for my purposes, nor were said priorconnections of plate to plate or sheet to sheet made with reference tothe attainment of objects sought by me, or the attainment of any resultsanalogous to those accruing by reason of my invention.

Having thus described my invention I claim 1. Theimprovementintemperingband-steel, which consists in passing through the temperingapparatus consecutive lengths of steel united by interlocked ends,substantially as described.

2. The interlocking joint for use in connection with temperingband-steel consisting of the two ends of steel provided, respectively,with the transverse straight-sided slot W, on each side of the neck, andthe longitudinal straight slot (0 terminating in the triangular opening(0 substantially as described.

3. The male end tapered and bent and provided with the neck, thetransverse slots on each side of said neck, and the aperture in linetherewith, in combination with the female end tapered and bent andprovided with the longitudinal and transverse slots, substantially asdescribed.

THOMAS DONAHUE.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. SCHUMANN, JOHN C. ADAMS.

ICC

